Kolkata: For over 200 underprivileged children, Durga Puja began with a tour of the city’s popular pujas. The Times of India, in association with Times NIE and The Stadel, organised Puja Parikrama 2026 on Thursday, Dressed in new t-shirts and caps, the children — many of whom on their first pandal-hopping outing — boarded four buses that were flagged off from The Stadel by chief guest Rathod Amitkumar Bharat, Bidhannagar City Police commissioner, and Anil Bhutoria, chairman and MD of The Stadel.“Durga Puja belongs to every child. The Stadel and Times NIE are proud to make this initiative possible,” he said.Other guests present at the event included actor-director Riwk Jaiswal, actor Inaaya Chowdhury, St Sebastian’s School principal M P Rozario, the school’s administrator Rashmi Rozario and grooming expert Tuhinaa Pandey. Class 12 students of St Sebastian’s School volunteered throughout the day and were honoured with certificates and medals. RJ Vineet kept the kids entertained throughout the day as they visited the pujas at IB Block, FD Block, AE Part 1, AJ Block, BJ Block and AK Block in Salt Lake, New Town Sarbojanin (opposite Central Mall) and New Town Sanatani (Mela Ground, Biswa Bangla Gate).IndianOil, Caring Minds International and St Sebastian’s School came on board as parikrama patrons. West Bengal State AIDS Prevention & Control Society, Ladies Circle India, Round Table India, Calcutta Rescue, represented by Piyali Chatterjee, The Rotary Club of Ballygunge South and St Mary’s and Jesus Foundation also came together to make this event a success. Tribeni Tissues Vidyapith, Chandrahati; Mangalam Vidya Niketan; Birla High School (Moira Street); Birla High School, Mukundapur; Sushila Birla Girls’ School; Gurbachan Singh Sondhi Girls’ School; St Augustine’s Day School; North Point Senior Secondary Boarding School, Arjunpur and Rajarhat; Bodhi Bhavans Collegiate School; and Divya Arya Vidya Public School, Bishnupur, were ‘utsav partners’ while former Chief Justice of Karnataka HC Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee extended his support despite being unable to attend.
